Twin suicide bombing kills 20 at a wedding north Baghdad

BAGHDAD, March 9 (AP) — Iraq's Defense Ministry says a twin suicide bombing targeting a village wedding north of Baghdad has killed at least 20 people.

The ministry says two suicide bombers walked into the wedding party in al-Hajaj village, near the city of Tikrit, on Wednesday evening. It says up to 13 people were wounded. Tikrit is about 130 kilometers, or 80 miles, from Baghdad.

It didn't provide more details and there was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack but suspicion is likely to fall on the Islamic State group, which has staged similar attacks in the past.

IS has also used large-scale attacks in an effort to distract from its losses as Iraqi forces battle to retake all of Mosul, the country's second-largest city — from the Sunni militant group.